Recently, my friends at Guiding Stars got in touch to let me know about some fabulous super bowl-ready HEALTHY easy-to-make recipes created by Expert Chef, Erin Dow. It takes quite a bit to get my attention and these recipes most certainly did, so I wanted to share with all of you Hope you enjoy! xx Corinne

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Designed to be packed with flavor and quick to make. Ditch your routine sandwich for something with a little more pizzazz for a packed lunch that you can look forward to.

Number of Servings: 4 (329 G)

Created by: Erin Dow

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 6 Minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, finely minced or ground (or substitute finely chopped cooked chicken)
• 1 head of Romaine or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated and washed
•  1 cup Diced cucumber
• 1/3 cup Sliced green onion
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup Chopped cilantro
•  2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
•  2 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Pinch black pepper

Directions

• Heat vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan and sauté until meat is just cooked through but not browned, about 6 minutes.
• Remove pan from heat and allow chicken to cool for 15 minutes. Move chicken to a plate and refrigerate until cold, about 1 hour.
• In a medium bowl, combine the cold chicken and the remaining ingredients and toss to coat evenly. Transfer mixture to a serving dish and refrigerate for 30 minutes to allow flavors to meld. Serve with lettuce leaves.

 Chippy Chili 

 Just 10 minutes to prep and ready within an hour, this family friendly dish will quickly become one of your “go-to” meals during a busy week.

To get one cup of crushed tortilla chips, measure approximately two cups of whole chips before crushing. Toss them into a plastic bag or put them between two paper towels and roll over them with a rolling pin or crush them with the bottom of a pan.

You want fine crumbs, but there’s no need for them to be reduced to a powder.

If you choose to make a larger quantity of seasoning for future use, use granulated garlic rather than fresh chopped garlic. You can also omit the granulated garlic from your seasoning mix altogether and add fresh when preparing your next batches of chili.

Substitute an equal amount of cubed beef for the ground beef if desired and simmer chili until the beef is fork tender.

Number of Servings: 6 (245 G)

Created by: Erin Dow

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour

Ingredients

• 1 pound 96% lean ground beef
• 1 cup diced bell pepper
• 1 cup diced onion
•  (1) 15 1/2 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
•  (2) 28 ounce cans crushed tomatoes
•  1 cup white corn tortilla chips, finely crushed
•    1 tablespoon dried parsley
•    4 teaspoons chili powder
•    2 teaspoons chopped garlic (or 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic)
•  2 teaspoons cumin
•    1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
•    1/2 teaspoons ground pepper

Directions

• Preheat a large saucepan over medium high heat, and add beef directly to the dry pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking apart large clumps every minute or two but allowing the meat in contact with the pan to brown before stirring again. Cook beef until it is evenly browned and no pink remains.
• Add the bell pepper, onion, and carrot to the pot and stir to combine with the beef. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften.
• Add the remaining ingredients and stir well to combine. Bring the ingredients to the simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, for at least 10 minutes but no more than 40 minutes, as very lean ground beef can develop an undesirable texture if cooked too long.
• Serve garnished with sliced green onions or any favorite chili toppings.

 Garlic-Lime Black Bean and Avocado Spread

 

Great enjoyed as a dip with veggie strips and baked chips. Add as many extra veggies as you wish: good candidates include jalapenos, blanched and cooled corn, and whole cooked black beans.

Try mixing a few spoonfuls of this spread with diced grilled or poached chicken on a bed of lettuce or in a wrap with some brown rice and sliced tomato.

Number of Servings: 12 – 1/4 cup servings (approx. 3 cups) (80 G)

Created by: Erin Dow

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Ingredients

•   1 (19 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
•   1/2 cup finely grated carrot
•   1 ripe avocado, peeled and diced
•  1 teaspoon minced garlic
•   1/3 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice, approximately 3 lime
• 1 cup diced fresh Roma tomatoes, seeds removed
• 1/2 cup orange or yellow bell pepper, diced
•  1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
•  2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
•    Black pepper and Tabasco, to taste

Directions

• Place beans, carrots, avocado, garlic, and lime juice in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Combine the pureed mixture and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl stirring until well blended.
• Let stand at least 30 minutes before serving.

 Tandoori Shrimp Skewers

 

 Owing to the fragrant and spicy curry powders, striking yellow turmeric and earthy cardamom and allspice, Indian cuisine is a guaranteed winner if you’re into bold flavors. Many of its inhabitants are vegetarians, so Indian food is a great choice if you’re looking to increase your vegetable intake or source a new recipe or two for your Meatless Monday. The dishes of India’s vast coastal areas also present unique opportunities to spice up your seafood recipe repertoire, and my recipe for Tandoori Shrimp Skewers is a quick and easy way to add some southern Asian flair to your family’s dinner.

My recipe begins with raw jumbo shrimp that have been peeled and deveined. Most markets sell shrimp already prepared this way, but if you find yourself looking at a bag of fully jacketed critters, don’t panic:

• Hold the shrimp with the legs facing you and slide your thumb under the top corner of the shell at the head end.
• Run your thumb down the length of the shell until you reach the bottom segment to which the tail is attached.
• Grip the bottom segment to keep it attached to the shrimp as you peel the top section of the shell along the seam with the bottom segment and away from the shrimp. Discard the shell or keep them and freeze to make a stock later.
• Turn the shrimp over so its back is facing you and make a shallow (1/8”) cut down the center from tip to tail to expose the dark vein.
• Remove the vein and rinse the shrimp in cold water to wash away any remaining debris.

(If you’re more of a visual learner, Epicurious has a great video demo on YouTube.)

Once your shrimp is prepped, all you have to do is slap a few ingredients together and let the shrimp marinate for a few minutes before skewering them and quickly grilling. In fact, if you’re fresh out of skewers–or don’t want to bother with them–you can grill the shrimp directly on the grates of the grill. Just remember that if you plan to use bamboo skewers to soak them in water for about an hour to reduce the chance that they’ll char and break.

The tangy yogurt and lime enhances the briny flavor of the shrimp, and the addition of the olive oil to the marinade helps bring out the oil soluble flavors of the curry powder and garlic. If you don’t have fresh or even jarred ginger, you can substitute ground ginger–the stuff you put in your cookies–but keep in mind you need just a fraction of the equivalent fresh since powdered spices are so much more potent: use 1/2 teaspoon.

Serve your shrimp skewers over a bed of brown or white basmati rice with a side of steamed or grilled veggies for a quick and healthy dinner. With such an easy preparation, spicing up your weeknight meals with this dish is almost as easy as ordering takeout from your favorite Indian place.

Servings: 12 (96 G)

Prep Time: 20 Minutes

Cook Time: 5 Minutes

Ingredients

•  3/4 cup plain lowfat yogurt
•  1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 4 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons Indian curry powder
• 2 pounds raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 36 shrimp)

 Directions

• Combine the yogurt, cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, ginger, garlic and curry powder in a small bowl and stir well.  Place the shrimp into a gallon zip-top bag and pour the yogurt mixture over the shrimp.  Close the bag and squeeze gently to distribute the yogurt mixture among the shrimp.  Allow shrimp to marinate for at least 15 minutes but no longer than an hour.
• Skewer two shrimp onto bamboo skewers (soak skewers before using to reduce burning) and grill over medium heat for 5 minutes or just until shrimp turn opaque.  Serve with fresh lime wedges and cilantro leaves to garnish.

 Zucchini Hummus

 

Small zucchinis are very moist, so if you’re using them, omit the water from the recipe until you see what the texture looks like as you process the ingredients: you want it to resemble a loose peanut butter. If you’re using large dry zucchinis, start out with ½ c water, then add water toward the end of processing if you need to thin the hummus out.

Hummus can be made from dried garbanzo beans that are soaked overnight and then cooked until tender and then cooled before proceeding. Canned garbanzos make a very suitable and convenient substitute.

Number of Servings: 12 (57 G)

Created by: Erin Dow

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

 Ingredients

•  1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans (15 ounce can), drained and rinsed
•  2 cups chopped peeled zucchini
• 1/2 cup sesame tahini
• 1/2 to 1 cup water
•   1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

 Directions

• In a food processor, combine the beans, zucchini, tahini, water, and lemon juice and puree until smooth, about 1 minute. If necessary, add more water until desired consistency is reached. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and combine. For best taste, allow to rest for at least 1 hour to allow flavors to meld.
• Hummus will store covered for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

About the author:

Erin Dow is the mother of three children, ages 11, 10, and 6 and is the Expert Chef for Guiding Stars, a nutritional navigation system that evaluates the healthfulness of foods based on nutrient density. She consults with school nutrition programs on healthy kid-approved recipe and menu development with a focus on scratch cooked foods. Her career as a chef spans fifteen years. Find recipes and more at http://guidingstars.com/.

About Guiding Stars Licensing Co.:

Since 2006, Guiding Stars has been leading the way in helping consumers make nutritious food choices and has received a U.S. Patent for the Guiding Stars nutrition rating algorithm. The Guiding Stars nutrition guidance program is a simple, easy-to-understand tool for making good nutrition choices and is designed to make a positive and lasting impact on public health. Guiding Stars is currently found in more than 1,700 supermarkets including Hannaford, Food Lion, Sweetbay, Homeland, Kings Super Market, Marsh and Loblaw’s Supermarkets. Guiding Stars has also expanded into public schools, colleges and hospitals and appears on the Shopper mobile iPhone application. Additional information can be found at www.guidingstars.com.

 

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